Virtual Community System

• US 20080147681A1
• Filed: 03/22/2004
• Published: 06/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Miraism, LLC
• Original Assignee: Core Colors, Inc.
• Inventors: Kiko, Hideaki
• Application Number:
  US10/597,648
• Publication Number:
  US 20080147681A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/986 Document structures and storage, e.g. HTML extensions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation

Abstract

A virtual community system relating to the embodiment comprises a community providing server 10, a user terminal 20, and a user website server 30 which are connected to each other via a network 40. The community providing server 10 issues a community tag in order to mount a tag community on a website of a registered user. The user inserts the community tag in HTML data constituting their own website. HTML data inserted with the community tag is stored in the user website server. The website partially containing the tag community is shown on a user terminal 20 of a user who accesses the website of the registered user, thus facilitating their participation in the virtual community.

Claims

1. A community providing server providing a virtual community for a user who has a user terminal connected to the server via a network, the server comprising:

a user management information database for storing information concerning registered users who are registered with the virtual community;

a contents database for storing contents data constituting the virtual community; and

a control means for issuing, for the purpose of mounting a virtual tag community on a website of the registered user, a community tag that is to be inserted in HTML data constituting the website.

2. The community providing server as defined in claim 1, wherein,

the user management information database stores information concerning an avatar that is a character acting for each user in the virtual tag community, and

the control means performs control to show the avatar acting for a user in the virtual tag community who is accessing the website having the virtual tag community in the virtual community.

3. The community providing server as defined in claim 2, wherein, when a user who has not logged into the virtual community accesses the website having the virtual tag community, the control means performs control to show a specific character that indicates the user is not in a logged-in state in the virtual tag community.

4. The community providing server as defined in claim 1, wherein,

the user management information database stores an address of the website of a user having the website having the virtual tag community among the registered users, and

the control means provides information of the address of the website for a user via the virtual tag community.

5. The community providing server as defined in claim 1, wherein,

the contents database stores information of a map of the whole virtual community, and

the user management information database stores information of an address of a registered user, and

the control means provides the information of the map and the address for a user via the virtual tag community.

6. The community providing server as defined in claim 5, wherein the control means searches the registered users on a prescribed condition with reference to the information of the user management information database and further refers to the information of the map and address, resulting in the control means outputting a result of a search linked to the information of the map.

10. The community providing server as defined in claim 1, wherein,

the user management information database stores information concerning an avatar that is a character acting for each user in the virtual tag community, and

the control means performs control to show the avatar acting for a user in the virtual tag community who is accessing the website having the virtual tag community.

7. A virtual community system providing a virtual community for a user, the system comprising:

a virtual community providing server, a user terminal, and a user website server, connected to each other via a network; and

wherein,

the community providing server comprises a user management information database for storing information concerning registered users who are registered with the virtual community, a contents database for storing contents data constituting the virtual community, and a control means for issuing, for the purpose of mounting a virtual tag community on a website of the registered user, a community tag which is to be inserted in HTML data constituting the website, and

the user website server comprises storage for saving HTML data into which the community tag is inserted.

8. A virtual community providing method for providing a virtual community for a user who has a user terminal connected to a community providing server via a network, the method comprising:

a step for issuing a community tag, by the community providing server, for a user who accesses the community providing server and registers with the virtual community in order to mount a virtual tag community on a website of the registered user; and

a step for sending data of contents of the virtual community, by the community providing server, to the user terminal that accesses the website of the registered user and also accesses the community providing server after analyzing the virtual community tag.

9. A virtual community providing program, stored on a computer readable medium, for causing a computer connected to a user terminal via a network to provide a virtual community for a user who is using the user terminal, wherein

the program causes the computer to execute:

a step of issuing a community tag, by a community providing server, for a user who accesses the community providing server and registers with the virtual community in order to mount a virtual tag community on a website of the registered user,

the community tag being inserted in HTML data constituting the website; and

a step for sending data of contents of the virtual community, by the community providing server, to the user terminal that accesses the website of the registered user and also accesses the community providing server after analyzing the virtual community tag.